The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-08-27
AMAZING ADVENTURES.
Two Truth-Hating Stase-Drivers Meet and
Fight Mighty Duel.


stage drivers got into conversation to-
gether will probably never be known;
but the fact remains that they did.
After some preliminary sparring to
establish the fact that each was a pro-
fessional liar as well as driver, and a
worthy opponent for the other, the
Western man said:
1--WE done some perty remark BILE
things in the West, which l s'pose
would s'prise you some if l was to tell
you bout 'em. l was driving stage
once an at Fort Steele somebody stole
all the wheels off'n the stage. put
the six bosses on run an went to
Rawlins, eighteen mile, lickety- brindle,
with the stage flynn in the air behind
bout four feet from the ground"
81 have druv stage some, myself, :"
unused the Eastern liar, as he closed his
eyes as if lost in thought, "but always
in the East, so OF course / never met
with no such s'prisin' adventures as
you have. | remember one little Incl
dent, though, as might pos bly, be with
tellin'. was drivin' four-hoss stage
tween Scrabbleville and Bone Corners,
twelve miles. One day jess l got ready
to start discovered that somebody had
stole the road between the two places.
Plenty O. wheels on my stage. INNER
stand, but no road to run EN- on. l
jes' went down to Butterworth creek
an got couple O. bridges an stuck
one of 'em out towards the Corners,
druv out on it, drawed the other out
and showed it ahead, druv on it, an
KEEP repeatin'. 1 made the drive in
something over four hours"
Yes" said the Western liar, APP
provingly, ''that was the best you
could do if you didn't have no extra
roads along. We gently carried long
one or two to use in case of '1iiergen-
cies. Ever have any trouble with road
agents?"
You mean robbers, guess?"
Yes"
"a couple of EN- tackled me one day,
but chased 'em two mile an finely
run over 'em with the stage"
"All the road agentsin the West COM
bined once near Julesburg to down me.
Twenty-Five of 'em opened fire on my
coach at once. 1t made me mad, an l
got off with my Winchester an went
for EN-. l left my bosses an passen-
rra,.c o,,f 1oot ',.o,,,J tba Gu no I,,.,,rI,
for three days shootin' road agents.
One would jump up bout ev'ry five
minutes an l would crack him over.
Lots o fun, though l needed good
bird dog. Stage company fined me two
hundred dollars for delayin' business.
1t was further down the river near
North Platte that the m'skeeters tried
to hold me up next summer. They
swarmed all over. One boss died from
loss O. blood-good boss, too. 1 be-
ieve a couple O English tourists who
were riding outside got killed by EN-,
too. went to smoking some dog-tail
terbacker man from Missoury give me
an that fixed EN-"
aye can't skeer Jersey skeeters with
smoke" said the Eastern driver, calm
ly. GIVE druv there and tried it. One
evening they were coming up out of
Sedgwick's marsh powerful thick. 1 lit
my pipe an lowed to drive 'em way.
Twas putin long when suddenly one
of 'em come up an asked me for a
light, an l looked round an seen
mother one scratchin' match on his
leg an lightin' cigar. They were
bad that trip. They would come up
out of that marsh an stand long the
road an sort O lean over an look at me
like turkey lool1in' at a grasshopper
l guess they thought was too small
game. Some O the young ones picked
at me, though, an made it sort O. dis
gree ble."
Ever have any sperience with raw
hide traces ?" asked the Western man.
mo" answered the other, doubt
fully, 81 guess not-mebby 1 have
under some other name, though-prob-
bly, have. Go head"
Il tried em out in the Green river
country-thought they would be very
dur bic, you know. Didn't think bout
their li'bilty to stretch. l was goin'
from Point of Rocks to Green River.
Forded Alkali creek an them tugs be-
gun to stretch. l was ridin' the near
wheel boss fer change at the time, an
fore | knowed it the coach was two
mile behind. l thought O. goin' back
but seed it wouldn't do DO good cause
they were the only traces had, so
KEEP goin'. When l got to Rock Spring.
ten mile from the creek, stopped.
didn't know what to do at first, but jes'
happened to think of scheme and
tried it. l tied all them tugs together
and fastened 'em to a tree, an jes' set
down an waited. The sun shone warm,
ard by-'n'-by them traces gun to
shrink an in bout two hours the coach
come rattlin' long 'sif there was forty
bosses to it."
II don't b'lieve l ever had a
'sperience zackly like that" said the
Eastern driver, "but had one most as
bad wnen l druv over the mount'ins in
in panncv1vonu Thara oo,,,a 80 :.